Americorps:
Americorps is often thought of as the internal Peace Corps for the USA. This huge umbrella organization encompasses scores of agencies and thousands of opportunities. Volunteers work in a broad spectrum of public service sectors including community development, children and youth, education, environment, health, homelessness, housing, hunger and eldercare. There is no fee for participating in these programs and receive a stipend to cover living expenses, health coverage and an education award at the end of service which can help repay loans or fund future studies.
Peace Corps:
The Peace Corps is a branch of the U.S government which engages volunteers in international service projects in areas like agriculture, health, youth and community development, education, HIV/AIDS, the environment and food security. Volunteers must commit to 27 months of service. There are no fees to participate and volunteers receive a living allowance, medical/dental coverage, travel to and from their volunteer site, deferment/cancellation of some loans and a transition award of $7,425 after completing their service.
City Year:
City Year operates educational support programs in over 20 cities nationwide. Corp members sign on for 10 months during which they provide one on one or small group tutoring before, during and after school to children in the third to ninth grade. Volunteers also lead and organize after school activities, celebrations and projects to improve the community and school environment. There are no fees to participate and volunteers receive a stipend to help cover living expenses and an education award of approximately $5500 at the end of their experience to repay loans or fund future educational endeavors. Health insurance, federal loan deferment, childcare coverage and a cell phone are also provided.
FoodCorps:
FoodCorps partners with AmeriCorps to recruit, train and place emerging leaders into limited-resource schools for a year of service implementing our three-ingredient recipe for healthy kids. Service members teach hands-on lessons about food and nutrition, build and tend school gardens and teach cooking lessons so kids can taste the fresh food they’ve grow and change what’s on children’s lunch trays, giving them healthy food from local farms. Service members are placed in one of 15 participating states including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Hawai’i, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina and Oregon. Service members receive training, a stipend, health insurance and an education award upon completion of the year of service.
World Teach:
WorldTeach is a non-profit organization, which provides graduates with yearlong teaching opportunities in 15 countries including Thailand, China, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Micronesia, Tanzania, the Marshall Islands, Guyana and American Samoa. Volunteers teach English, math, science, computer skills, HIV/Aids education and general elementary education. Participants are required to raise funds to help pay for program costs and are furnished with materials to facilitate this process. Volunteers are provided with room, board, health coverage and a modest stipend to meet day-to-day expenses.
The Student Conservation Association:
The Student Conservation Association through its internship program and Conservation Corps engages volunteers for three to ten month hands on conservation projects in all 50 states. Corps members work on critical environmental issues such as wildfire management and education, trail restoration and maintenance, environmental education, and invasive species eradication. Volunteers receive a stipend, education award, housing (in most cases) and medical coverage for longer term assignments.
The Catholic Volunteer Network:
The Catholic Volunteer Network is a non-profit clearinghouse for mostly domestic and a few international Catholic volunteer organizations. Many placements provide a stipend, housing and health coverage. The search page enables users to identify programs by service focus, geographic area and factors like whether housing, stipend and health coverage are provided.
MatchCorps:
MatchCorps is a full time residential fellows program which links volunteers with 6-7 elementary, middle or high school students at public charter schools in the Boston area. Volunteers conduct one on one and small group tutoring, supervise extra-curricular activities, coach sports and serve as teaching assistants to outstanding classroom teachers. Most of the students are high need, low-income youngsters who otherwise would not be likely to go to college. Match Corps fellows receive housing and a modest living stipend.
EarthCorps:
EarthCorps enlists Corps members to complete environmental restoration projects in the Puget Sound area of Washington State. Projects can include stream and salmon habitat restoration, erosion control, invasive plant removal, native plant installation, trail construction and maintenance, and volunteer management. Volunteers receive a living stipend of $1120 per month and are eligible for an education award of $5500 after completing 1700 hours of service. Health insurance is provided.
Teach For America:
Teach for America recruits college graduates who have not completed teacher-training programs to teach in under resourced schools with significant populations of socio-economically disadvantaged students. Participants take part in an intensive summer institute to learn teaching methodology and engage in ongoing training as they complete a 2-year teaching assignment. Recruits receive compensation and benefits consistent with teachers in their district with pay ranging from $30,000 to $51,000.
Citizen Schools National Teaching Fellowship:
The Citizen Schools National Teaching Fellowship is a paid AmeriCorps national service opportunity for individuals dedicated to directly impacting the futures of middle school students in low-income communities across America. It requires a commitment of two years of service in which fellows provide the students months of extra learning that translates into college readiness, career opportunity and the ability to achieve their dreams. As with AmeriCorps programs, fellows receive a stipend, benefits, and education grants.
Careers in Community Organizing for Social Justice
The Direct Action & Research Training (DART) Center will be hosting an online information session onWednesday, October 7 at 8pm to discuss careers in community organizing with individuals interested in uniting congregations and working for social, economic and racial justice.
RSVP at www.thedartcenter.org/events
DART hires and trains organizers to lead campaigns on a broad set of justice issues including:
* Plugging the school-to-prison pipeline
* Fighting for immigrants’ rights
* Expanding access to primary health and dental care
* Prioritizing funding for affordable housing and job training
* Reining in predatory lending practices
Positions start January 11, 2016 in St. Petersburg, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, FL.
Positions start August 15, 2016 in Charleston, SC, St. Petersburg, FL and Lexington, KY.
Starting salary $34,000/year + benefits, with regular performance based raises.
Fluent speakers of Spanish and Haitian Creole are encouraged to apply.
To find out more about DART or to apply, we encourage you to visit www.thedartcenter.org. Still have questions? Contact Hannah Wittmer at hannah@thedartcenter.org or (202) 841-0353.